Yemen: Aden Plunges into Darkness: Lanterns and Candles Return Amidst Electricity Collapse and Rising Prices of Alternatives

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

**Arab Sea - Reports:** Citizens in Aden have complained about the deterioration of the electricity service, forcing residents to return to using traditional lighting methods such as lanterns, flashlights, and candles, reflecting the magnitude of the crisis and the government's increasing inability to find radical solutions to the frequent power outages. A recent report by "Al-Araby Al-Jadeed" newspaper revealed that these means have become the primary option in popular neighborhoods and gathering areas such as "Sheikh Othman," "Dar Saad," "Aden Al-Sughra," "Crater," and "Seera," where candles are in high demand and top the sales of goods, followed by water, while some shop owners and professionals rely on generators to run their businesses. In contrast, upscale neighborhoods such as Khor Maksar and areas overlooking the Abyan coast, and even Maashiq Palace, resort to using solar power systems and batteries, despite their high prices, which have reached record levels, with the price of lithium batteries reaching about a thousand dollars, making them unavailable to the majority of the population. Citizens are suffering from increasing financial burdens due to the high cost of alternatives, amid the decline of the productive and commercial sectors, while there are no signs of effective government intervention to end the crisis that threatens the livelihood stability in Aden, one of the most prominent cities in Yemen.